Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 8/1/17



Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has named Carmen Rottenberg as acting deputy under secretary for food safety, succeeding Al Almanza, who retired at the end of July. Perdue named Paul Kiecker as the acting administrator of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. 

Carmen Rottenberg
Effective Aug. 1, Rottenberg will oversee development, implementation and enforcement of all of FSIS’ regulations, policies and programs. This appointment follows nearly six years in leadership roles in the FSIS Office of the Administrator, including serving as the chief of staff, the chief operating officer and, most recently, the deputy administrator.

In those leadership roles, Ms. Rottenberg executed a budget of more than $1 billion, prioritizing resources and resolving disputes, advancing the agency’s vision and goals, and leading solutions to challenges in FSIS.

She implemented two major reorganizations leading to a more streamlined, efficient agency better positioned to carry out its food safety mission. Through her leadership and oversight, an early governance process matured into an established systematic approach to agency decision-making, resulting in more deliberative, science-based decisions that consider enterprise-wide risks and benefits, according to USDA.

Rottenberg joined FSIS as an equal employment opportunity specialist in 2007, and went on to become the deputy director of the civil rights staff.

She began her Federal government career in the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of General Counsel. Prior to joining FSIS, Rottenberg was a law clerk at a small law firm in Fairfax, Va. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Hope College in Holland, Mich., and a JD degree from American University’s Washington College of Law.

Paul Kiecker
Now the acting administrator for FSIS, effective Aug. 1, Kiecker has had a 29-year career with FSIS.
Since joining FSIS in 1988 as a food inspector, Mr. Kiecker has served in a number of roles, most recently as deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Field Operations.

He came to Washington, D.C. to serve as executive associate for regulatory operations, after serving as the district manager in Springdale, Ark., and Madison, Wis.

Kiecker’s experience with FSIS also includes work with the Office of Investigation, Enforcement, and Audit (OIEA), where he has served as a compliance investigator and as supervisory compliance officer.

In his various positions with FSIS, Mr. Kiecker has played a critical role in leading external coordination with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, international organizations, and law enforcement agencies. He has also had oversight responsibility for strategic planning, policy formulation and implementation, budget development and execution, human resource management, and day-to-day inspection operations.

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